Hand anthropometry survey of female agricultural workers for design of gender friendly equipments

An anthropometric survey of female farm workers was conducted from the Mungeli district, in order to obtain information on the body dimensions, which may be used in ergonomic design of farm equipments. In present study different hand dimensions of right and left hand of 200 female agricultural workers have been collected. Four body dimensions and ten hand dimensions have been identified which were considered more useful for designing agricultural hand tools.

Original Research Article https://doi.org/10.20546/ijcmas.2020.905.250

Hand Anthropometry Survey of Female Agricultural Workers for Design of

Gender Friendly Equipments

Pooja Sahu 1* , Pallavi Porte 2 , V M Victor and G Yadav 3

1

Department of Agricultural Processing and Food Engineering, 2 Department of Water Resources, 3 BRSM College of Agril Engineering and Technology, Indira Gandhi Krishi

Viswvidyalaya, Raipur-492012, Chhattisgarh, India

*Corresponding author

A B S T R A C T

Introduction

India is an agriculture-based country A large

section of Indian population is involved in

agriculture In central part of India, major

agriculture is in paddy cultivation In

Chhattisgarh state a large section of woman

labours are associated with paddy cultivation

jobs (Census of India, 1991) They use

different type of hand tools for various steps

of paddy cultivation Hand tools need to fit the contours of hand; they need to be held securely with suitable wrist and arm posture, they may be utilizing strength and energy capabilities without over loading the body For effective use of tools and implements that require workers to maintain a power grip during task performance, adequate space must

be provided on the handle (Okunribido, 2000)

ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 9 Number 5 (2020)

Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com

An anthropometric survey of female farm workers was conducted from the Mungeli district, in order

to obtain information on the body dimensions, which may be used in ergonomic design of farm equipments In present study different hand dimensions of right and left hand of 200 female agricultural workers have been collected Four body dimensions and ten hand dimensions have been identified which were considered more useful for designing agricultural hand tools It has noted that there were significant differences in hand measurement between left and right hands of agricultural female workers The 200 female workers were categorized in four different age groups (18-25,

26-35, 36-45, 46 to above) whose mean, standard deviation, coefficient of variation (CV), range were computed according to age groups Percentile values (5th, 25th, 50th, 95th) of the anthropometric dimensions were also computed separately for different age groups The percentage difference in the measurement between right and left hands was small (0.05% to 0.22%) However, it was common practice of workers to use the same hand tools by both sexes Therefore, this information of hand anthropometric dimensions of female workers helps us in design of gender friendly equipments and hand tools The hand dimensions of subjects of the present study were also compared with female workers of central part of India and abroad

K e y w o r d s

Anthropometric,

Age groups, Hand

dimensions, Gender

friendly

Accepted:

15 April 2020

Available Online:

10 May 2020

Article Info

Some hand tools require a fairly small force

but precise handling and other hand large

force but increase handling Hence, the design

of agricultural hand tools is a complex

ergonomic task and requires hand

anthropometry In Indian agriculture, hand

tools, animal-drawn equipment and

tractor/power operated machinery are

extensively used for various operations This

equipment are either operated or and

controlled by human workers (Gite Yadav,

1989) Use of anthropometric data can help in

the proper design of equipment for better

efficiency and more human comfort

Today, there is a growing demand among

professional hand tool users to have

ergonomically designed products (Schmidtke,

1984; Snow, 1984) Many people need them,

but a few know anything about them If better

fitted hand tools or appliance are to be

produced for agricultural workers, knowledge

of the hand dimensions is required This

information is also useful of determining

various aspects of industrial machinery

(Imrhan et al., 1993, Lewis and Narayan,

1993) Therefore, it is necessary to have data

of Indian agricultural workers, both men and

women to assist in proper equipment design

Considering the socio-economic condition

and common habitual practice of the Indian

farmers, the design of hand tools having the

same dimensions for both men and women

may be adopted For designing such a hand

tool the hand measurements of male and

female subjects should be taken as the same

However, it is the common practice, among

the Indian agricultural workers to use the

same hand tools by the male and female

workers The data of male and female

subjects may be used for designing hand tools

separately for them Mismatches between

human anthropometric dimensions and

contributing factor in decreased productivity, discomfort, accidents, biomechanical stresses, fatigue, injuries, and cumulative traumas Therefore, various researchers have pointed out the importance of using relevant anthropometric data in equipment design

The present need for the use of agricultural machineries and equipments for agricultural mechanization require a good knowledge and proper design of agricultural equipment with special consideration to efficiency, safety and comfort of people using them

In the present study different hand dimensions

of right and left hand of 200 agricultural female workers have been collected from Mungeli region The collected anthropometric data were compared with the data of other part of India and abroad

Materials and Methods Subject

Measurements were taken from 200 agricultural female workers belonging to four different age groups as 18-25, 26-35, 36-45 and 46 above The subjects covered under the random survey were the female workers working in different agricultural field of Mungeli District, Chhattisgarh Fifteen body dimensions were measured from the agricultural machinery and tools design point

of view 200 subjects collected data could be used for design of agricultural machinery to developed ergonomic consciousness for the designers

Body dimensions agricultural workers

Fifteen body dimensions have been identified

in which ten hand dimensions were considered which is useful for agricultural hand tools design The body dimensions used

Body mass index

The body mass index (BMI), or Quetelet

index, is a measure for human body shape

based on an individual's mass and height A

measurement of the relative percentages of fat

and muscle mass in the human body, in which

mass in kilograms is divided by height in

meter squared and the result used as an index

of obesity

Basal metabolic rate

The rate at which energy is used by an

organism at complete rest, measured in

humans by the heat given off per unit time,

and expressed as the calories released per

kilogram of body weight or per square meter

of body surface per hour

Hand length

The straight distance between root of the palm

and tip of the middle finger (Figure 1-b)

Palm length

The straight distance between root of the palm

and root of the middle finger (Figure 1-b)

Hand breadth

The breadth of the palm measured at the level

of maximum buldge of the palm excluding

thumb

Maximum hand breadth

The breadth of the hand measured at the level

of maximum buldge of the palm including

thumb (Figure 1-e)

Hand thickness

The thickness of the hand measure at the level

of middle portion of the palm transversely

Hand circumference

The close measurement that follows a hand contour at the maximum palm level, the measurement is not circular (Figure 1-d)

Maximum hand circumference

The closed measurement that follows a hand contour at the maximum feast level, the measurement is not circular (Figure 1-a)

Grip diameter

Maximum inner curvature of the hand at the touching level between tip of the middle finger and thumb (Figure 1-c)

Arm length

The straight distance between root of the arm and tip of the middle finger (Figure1-f)

Elbow length

The straight distance between root of the elbow and tip of the middle finger (Figure 1-g)

Instrument Body fat monitor

Through this body fat monitor we calculate body mass index (BMI) and basal metabolic rate (BMR) This instrument is automatic digital instrument shows the values of BMI and BMR on feeding the values of height, age, weight of subject

Vernier caliper

A vernier scale is a device that lets the user measure more than could be done by reading

a uniformly-divided straight or circular measurement scale It is scale that indicates

where the measurement lies in between two of

the marks on the main scale Through this

instrument we calculate the hand thickness

Scale

Hand length, palm length, hand breadth and

maximum hand breadth could be calculate

through the scale We use 30 cm long scale

for finding these dimensions

Measuring tape

In this study, it is used for measuring the arm

length and elbow length

Threads

In this study we used the thread for measuring the hand circumference and maximum hand circumference

Pipes and bamboos roller

Different diameters of pipe and bamboo are used for calculation of the grip diameter

a Maximum hand

circumference

b Hand length &

Palm length

circumference

Figure.1 Different hand dimensions

A200 subjects were evaluated for efficient use

of hand tools and equipments of agricultural

female workers The right and left hand of the

subject were include the measurement taken

under standardized condition and using proper

landmark The following steps are given

below:

Firstly, we take body dimension such as age,

weight, and height Weight and height

should be taken with the help of

weighing machine

Then, calculate body mass index and basal

metabolic rate The instrument used for

calculating body mass index and basal

metabolic rate is body fat monitor For

find out the value of BMI and BMR

take value in standing position of the

subject one by one and put the value of

age, weight, height, in which hand angle

is at 90° of particular subject then the

instrument gives correct value The

values of BMI are dimensionless and

the value of BMR is expressed in kcal

After that measuring hand length, palm

length, hand breadth, maximum hand

breadth in cm with the help of scale

Now, calculate the hand thickness in cm and

the instrument used for find out the hand

thickness is Vernier caliper

Then, measure the hand circumference with

the help of thread also in cm

To find out the hand grip diameter, different

diameters of bamboo rollers were used

At last measure the arm length and elbow

length in cm with the help of measuring

tape in standing posture

Statistical analysis

Descriptive statistics were summarized in

terms of mean, standard deviation (SD) and

coefficient of variation (CV%) Statistical

parameters were computed by using

computerized statistical analysis software

(SPSS)

Results and Discussion

Various Anthropometric Measurements had been taken for the designing of Agricultural tools and equipment for the drudgery reduction of Farm women Further, observations were analyzed STDEV, CV, Range, 5th, 25th, 50th and 95th percentile of above anthropometric measurements were calculated

The variation of hand length dimension of women of age group 18-25 years was found higher (5%) than women’s’ of other age groups whereas the variation in palm length was found higher in women’s age group of 46 and above The standard deviation of breadth, thickness and grip diameter was found below 1mm in all age group of women’s of the region

Whereas standard deviation of arm length and elbow length was found more than the mean value of thickness, breadth of women of Chhattisgarh region was coincides with the women of the Central India and standard deviation values of these parameters are within the range of women of Central India and abroad The handle diameter of hand tools used by the women’s of the region within the range of grip diameter of women’s

of region i.e 4.2 cm

Physical characteristics of women between 18-25 age of physical characteristics of agricultural women workers of age group

18-25 years are given in the table 1 The body weight women workers were ranged from 36

to 65 kg whereas the mean body weight was found to be 49.2 kg The BMI was found to

be ranged of 15.2 to 35.7 and BMR was found

to be range from 913 to 1553 The mean BMI and BMR were found to be 21.3 and 1191.8 respectively The height of woman workers was ranged from 137-164 cm

The data was statistically analyzed shows that

there was significant difference in weight and

height of agricultural female workers of age

group 18-25 years and was found to be

highest as 8.1 in weight and lowest in height

6.8 whereas coefficient of variation (CV) was

found to be 16.4 per cent and 4.4 in weight

and height respectively

The value of the height, weight, BMI and

BMR for 5th percentile woman workers was

found to be 39, 140.7, 16.7 and 986.0

respectively The 25th percentile value of

height, weight, BMI and BMR was found to

be 45, 149.3, 18.6 and 1096 respectively

The 50th percentile of following parameters

was found to be 47, 154.5, 19.8 and 1132

The 95th percentile of body weight, height,

BMR and BMI was found to be 67.75, 163.5,

28.7 and 1512.1 respectively The percent

difference in weight of female workers of age

group 18- 25 years was found to be 36-65 kg

with body mass index 21.3 shows the larger

workers in this group was oblique in nature

Physical characteristics of women between

26-35 age Table 2 shows that the body weight

of age group 26- 35 was found to be varies

from 40-75 kg whereas the mean body weight

was found to be 54.5 kg The standard

deviation for body weight was found as 7.9

and the CV was found to be 14.6 per cent

Similarly height varies from 144 to169 cm

whereas very deviation of 5.3 and CV was 3.4

per cent was found in height of woman of age

group 26 -35 years The BMI was found to be

in the range of 16.5 to 31.9 and BMR was

ranges from 935 to 1645 The value of the

height, weight, BMI and BMR for 5th

percentile was found to be 43.9, 146, 19.2 and

1026.1 respectively Similarly body weight,

height, BMR and BMI was found to be 67.1,

163.2, 28.7 and 1459.3 respectively for 95th

percentile female workers of the region

Physical characteristics agricultural women workers of age group 36-45 is given in the table 3 shows that the mean body weight was 56.2 kg and ranged between 39 to 78 kg Table shows that standard deviation for weight was found as 8.7 and the CV was 15.4 per cent

Similarly the height of female workers ranges from 140 to 170 cm and standard deviation was found as 6.3 whereas CV was 4.1 per cent The BMI is the parameter of body weight and height of the female worker and it was found to be in the range of 17.7 to 42.5 with 24.3 mean BMI of woman of age group 36-45 age Similarly BMR was found to be in the range of 918 to 2027 The mean of the BMR was found to be 1225.3 The standard deviation for BMR was found as 197.0 and the CV was 16.1 per cent The value of the height, weight, BMI and BMR was found to

be 45.3, 145, 18.4 and 1025.0 and 72.1, 163.7, 29.8 and 1507.7 respectively for 5th and 95th percentile workers of the region

Physical characteristics of 50 agricultural women workers between ages 46 to above are given in the table 4 The Body weight was found to be in the range of 40 to 81 The mean of the body weight was found to be 60.2 The standard deviation for weight was found as 9.7 and the CV was 16.1 per cent The range for the height was found as 137 to

168 Mean of height was found to be 154.0

The standard deviation for height was found

as 5.3 and the CV was 3.4 per cent The BMI was found to be in the range of 19.4 to 31.6 The mean of the BMI was found to be 25.2 The standard deviation for BMI was found as 3.6 and the CV was 14.4 per cent The BMR was found to be in the range of 887 to 1624 The mean of the BMR was found to be 1236.9 The standard deviation for BMR was found as 163.2 and the CV was 13.2 per cent

The 5th percentile value of the height, weight,

BMI and BMR was found to be 46, 146.5,

19.9 and 956.6 respectively The 25th

percentile value of height, weight, BMI and

BMR was found to be 51.5, 150, 21.9 and

1121.7 respectively The 50th percentile of

following parameters was found to be 59.5,

154, 25.4 and 1213.5 The 95th percentile of

body weight, height, BMR and BMI was

found to be 74.6, 162.6, 30.7 and 1476.3

respectively Hand dimensions of agricultural

women of age group 18-25 in table 5 of right

and left hand parameter for 50 agricultural

women workers The CV of palm length

variation between Left and right hand is 0.6

Maximum hand breadth variation between left

and right hand is 0.8 The hand thickness

variation between Left and right hand is 0.7

Maximum hand circumference variation

between left and right hand is 0.1 The arm

length was found to be 0.6

Hand dimensions of agricultural women for

age group 26-35 in table 6 of right and left

hand parameter for 50 agricultural women

workers The CV of palm length variation

between Left and right hand is 0.2 The hand

breadth variation between Left and right hand

is 0.4 Maximum hand breadth variation

between Left and right hand is 0.2 The hand

circumference variation between Left and

right hand is 0.1 Maximum hand

circumference and grip diameter variation

between Left and right hand is 0.1

Hand parameters of agricultural women for

age group 36-45 in table 7 of right and left

hand parameter such as the CV of hand

length, the variation between Left and right

hand is 0.3 The hand breadth and maximum

hand breadth variation between Left and right

hand is 0.7 and 0.1 respectively The hand

thickness variation between Left and right

hand is 0.2 The hand circumference and grip

diameter variation between Left and right

hand is 0.1 both The maximum hand circumference variation between Left and right hand is 0.1 and also the elbow length was found to be 0.1

Hand parameters of agricultural women for age group 46 to above in table 8 of right and left hand parameter for 50 agricultural women workers The CV of hand length and palm length variation between Left and right hand

is 0.1 and 0.3 respectively The hand breadth and maximum hand breadth variation between Left and right hand is 0.1 and 0.4 The hand thickness variation between Left and right hand is 0.1 The elbow length was found to be 0.1

India is an agriculture based country Large section of Indian population is involved in agriculture Paddy is the major crop of the Chhattisgarh and about 70% of field operation and paddy was carried out by women workers In regular work human being use a variety of equipment, included hand tools, to accomplished various task Such equipment should be compatible with the physical characteristics of the workers Hand tools need to fit the contours of hand, they may be utilizing strength and energy capabilities without overloading the body Mismatches between human anthropometric dimensions and equipment dimensions are known to be a contributing factor in decreased productivity, discomfort, accidents, fatigue, injuries

According to this point of view, we have measured body and hand dimensions for agricultural female workers in field for accurate and uniformly designed agricultural hand tools for comfortably used by women workers For that, anthropometric and strength data have greatest importance in designed and development of farm implements (Table 9 and 10)

Table.1 Physical characteristics of female workers of age group 18-25 age

Body mass index

(BMI)

21.3 ± 4.1 19.1 15.2 -

35.7

Basal metabolic

rate (BMR)

1191.8 ± 184.1

15.4 913 -

1553

986.0 1096.0 1132.0 1512.0

Table.2 Physical characteristics of women between 26-35 age

index(BMI)

Basal metabolic

rate (BMR)

1227.5 ± 138.7

11.3 935-1645 1026.1 1132 1222 1459.3

Table.3 Physical characteristics of women of age group 36-45 years

(BMR)

Table.4 Physical characteristics of women of age group > 45 years

Table.5 Hand dimensions of women of age group 18-25 years

Hand Length,cm 17.5±0.9 17.5±0.9 5.2 5.1 15.4-19.5 15.5-19.6 15.7 15.8 16.6 16.8 17.5 17.4 18.4 18.5

Hand Breadth,

cm

Maximum Hand

Breadth, cm

Hand

Thickness,cm

Hand Circum,cm 19.2±1.3 19.2±1.3 6.7 6.7 16.3-22.0 16.0-22.0 17.2 17.4 18.4 18.5 19.2 19.2 21.8 21.7 MaxHand

Circum,cm

Grip

Diameter,cm

Arm Length,cm 69.7±3.9 69.3±4.2 5.5 6.1 60.5-76.0 60.3-75.9 61.7 60.9 67.5 67.0 70.2 70.0 74.6 74.6 Elbow Length,cm 42.6±2.3 42.6±2.3 5.3 5.3 37.9-47.0 38.0-47.0 39.5 39.6 40.9 41.0 42.3 42.2 46.0 46.1

Table.6 Different hand dimensions of women between 26-35 age

Hand

Breadth,cm

Maximum

Hand

Breadth,

cm

Hand

Thickness,cm

Hand

Circum,cm

Maximum

HandCircum,

cm

Grip

Diameter,cm

Arm Length,

cm

Elbow Length,

cm